Math Journal: The 1-2-3 Puzzle

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
colorful numbers 1, 2, 3

Math Journaling Adventures series by Denise GaskinsThere’s still time to check out my Math Journaling Adventures project and discover how playful writing activities will help your students learn mathematics. Preorder your books today!

Meanwhile, here’s a math puzzle to share with your kids…

Write down any whole number. It can be a single-digit number, or as big as you like. For example:

64,861,287,124,425,928

Now, count up the number of even digits (including zeros), the number of odd digits, and the total number of digits your number contains. Write those counted numbers down in order, like this:

64,861,287,124,425,928
even 12, odd 5, total 17

Continue reading Math Journal: The 1-2-3 Puzzle

Only Two Days Left for Math Journaling Adventures

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
Math Journaling Adventures series by Denise Gaskins
  • If you’re a parent trying to help your child learn math…
  • Or a teacher looking for creative ideas for your classroom…
  • Or a homeschooling parent hoping to enrich your student’s understanding…

Then you’ll love the Math Journaling Adventures series because these logbooks guide your children to explore mathematics at a deeper level, building a strong foundation to support future learning.

It’s a fun way to enrich any math curriculum, and great for unschoolers, too.

But you have to ACT FAST: The Kickstarter campaign ends in 2 days!

Order Your Copy Today ❯

Continue reading Only Two Days Left for Math Journaling Adventures

Podcast: Using Math Journals and Games

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
mother and daughter math journaling

I have a new podcast interview, and I think you’ll enjoy it!

Check out Cindy Rollins’s The New Mason Jar on your favorite podcast app, or listen on the website:

Go to the podcast ❱

Here’s an excerpt…

Writing to Learn

Just as a nature journal records our children’s explorations and discoveries in nature, so a math journal tracks our children’s explorations in the world of mathematics.

    In a math journal, children record their experiences with numbers, shapes, and patterns through drawing or writing. Journaling teaches them to see with mathematical eyes — not just to remember what we adults tell them, but to create their own math.

      The process of writing forces children to pin down their thoughts, to transform nebulous concepts into firm ideas, to struggle with vagueness and build understanding.

        As William Zinsser says in his book Writing to Learn: “Writing is how we think our way into a subject and make it our own. Writing enables us to find out what we know, and what we don’t know.”

          Through journaling, children develop a richer mathematical mindset. They begin to see connections and grow confident in their ability to think through new problems.

          We had a great discussion! Listen to the whole thing:

          Go to the podcast ❱

           
          * * *

          Are you looking for more creative ways to play math with your kids? Check out all my books, printable activities, and cool mathy merch at Denise Gaskins’ Playful Math Store. Or join my free email newsletter.

          This blog is reader-supported. If you’d like to help fund the blog on an on-going basis, then please join me on Patreon for mathy inspiration, tips, and an ever-growing archive of printable activities.

          “Podcast: Using Math Journals and Games” copyright © 2025 by Denise Gaskins. Image at the top of the post copyright © AntonLozovoy / Depositphotos.

          Math Journal: Three Quick Number Games

          Posted on by Denise Gaskins
          photo of family playing a dice game

          Math Journaling Adventures Kickstarter projectHere are three quick math games you can fit in whenever you have a few minutes’ free time. Have fun playing math with your kids!

          And if you enjoy these games, check out my Math Journaling Adventures project to discover how similar playful writing activities can help your students learn mathematics. Preorder your books today!

          Continue reading Math Journal: Three Quick Number Games

          Math Journaling Adventures: It Keeps Getting Better

          Posted on by Denise Gaskins
          brother and sister journaling together

          Math Journaling Adventures series by Denise GaskinsDid you know that, with our recent stretch goals, each Math Journaling Adventures logbook now features 94 amazing ways to play math with your kids?

          And every pledge pushes us closer to the next bonus, which means more new activities for every backer.

          Don’t miss out on the excitement. Order your copy today:

          Visit the Math Journaling Kickstarter ❱

          Continue reading Math Journaling Adventures: It Keeps Getting Better

          Math Journal: Playing with My Own Ignorance

          Posted on by Denise Gaskins
          photo of a girl wondering about math

          Mary Everest Boole, wife of English mathematician George Boole, once described algebra as “thinking logically about the fact of our own ignorance.”

          This definition made me chuckle. Like any human being, I am ignorant on many things, but I usually avoid thinking about that.

          So I wondered what would happen if I took Mrs. Boole’s advice and tried thinking logically about my ignorance.

          How far could I go?

          Perhaps you’d like to try this experiment with your children. All you need is a pen and paper or a whiteboard and markers and a bit of curiosity.

          Math Journaling Adventures series by Denise GaskinsAnd if you enjoy this exploration, check out my Math Journaling Adventures project to discover how playful writing activities can help your students learn mathematics. Preorder your books today!

          Continue reading Math Journal: Playing with My Own Ignorance

          Math Adventures Merchandise to Inspire Your Kids

          Posted on by Denise Gaskins
          Two girls studying

          Math Journaling Adventures series by Denise GaskinsMy new math book series, the Math Journaling Adventures, just launched on Kickstarter.

          And I’m trying several new reward options I’ve never done before. (The “rewards” on Kickstarter are all the various things you can buy with your support pledge.)

          This is going to be so much fun!

          Check it out:

          Math Journaling Adventures

          Continue reading Math Adventures Merchandise to Inspire Your Kids

          Morning Coffee: When Math Makes You Feel Stupid

          Posted on by Denise Gaskins
          Morning Coffee Lifelong Learning for Parents

          One of the best ways we can help our children learn mathematics (or anything else) is to be lifelong learners ourselves.

          Here are a few stories to read as you sip your morning brew. . .

          Download your printable Morning Coffee journal

          This week’s rabbit hole started with a thought-provoking newsletter from Dan Finkel, which led me to his blog…

          “Everyone who learns math is familiar with the experience of being stuck on some new idea or problem, banging their head against it, and then, when they finally understand the answer (or having someone tell them), feeling stupid. There’s something fundamental in the nature of mathematics that makes it easy once you get it, and impossible before.

            “These jumps in comprehension can be thrilling, and they’re one reason math is so fun. But they do create a challenge for the student. The evidence that you learned something hard is that you feel like you’re stupid. That stupidity is essential to the process. Students need to know this feeling is the norm when it comes to learning math.”

            —Dan Finkel and Katherine Cook, The centrality of stupidity in mathematics

            Read more about the value of feeling stupid in this second installment of professional development for homeschooling parents.

             
            * * *

            Are you looking for more creative ways to play math with your kids? Check out all my books, printable activities, and cool mathy merch at Denise Gaskins’ Playful Math Store. Or join my email newsletter.

            This blog is reader-supported. If you’d like to help fund the blog on an on-going basis, then please join me on Patreon for mathy inspiration, tips, and an ever-growing archive of printable activities.

            “Morning Coffee: When Math Makes You Feel Stupid” copyright © 2025 by Denise Gaskins. Image at the top of post copyright © Kira auf der Heide / Unsplash.

            Why I Love the Math Journaling Adventures Series

            Posted on by Denise Gaskins
            Mother and daughter doing homework outdoors

            Math Journaling Adventures series by Denise GaskinsMy Math Journaling Adventures Series is now available on Kickstarter.

            I love these books!

            Writing is one of the best ways to learn math deeply, because wrestling our thoughts into words forces us to figure out what we really believe.

            It’s the natural, no-stress way to build our children’s understanding and confidence.

            Hit the button to visit the campaign and order your books:

            Math Journaling Adventures Kickstarter ❯

            Continue reading Why I Love the Math Journaling Adventures Series

            Math Journaling Adventures Launched: Order Your Copy Today

            Posted on by Denise Gaskins
            Math Journaling Adventures: Creative Logbooks for All Ages

            And so it begins: the Math Journaling Adventures is LIVE on Kickstarter!

            Check It Out ❯

            ⭐ Don’t delay! First-day backers get the best deals. Choose one of the Earlybird rewards:

            • Earlybird 2-Logbook Sets in Digital, Paperback, Spiral-Bound, or Hardcover
            • Earlybird Everything Bundles in Digital or Paperback

            To have a successful campaign, we need plenty of people to back the project early. The more supporters we get in these early days, the more likely the Kickstarter platform folks will help spread the news for us.

            Continue reading Math Journaling Adventures Launched: Order Your Copy Today